Visit the ‘rock with stitches’ in Colombia

Visitors of Colombia can have an unusual attraction waiting for them. It is huge natural rock with zig zag staircases to reach to its top – looks like the crack along the side of the rock is stitched together.

La Piedra Del Penol is the name of the rock in Spanish, which means ‘The Rock of Guatape’, also known as El Penol Stone or simply as La Piedra. It is located in the town and municipality of Guatapé, in Antioquia, Colombia. It reminds a little bit of Sigiriya Rock in Sri Lanka.

Top of the rock

The rock is located near the border of two towns – Guatape and El Penol. It is said that both towns claimed ownership of the rock and once, the residents of Guatape decided to paint the name of the town on the rock to reiterate their ownership. However, the residents of El Penol noticed the move and a large mob were gathered to stop it. The painters could complete only the ‘G’ and part of the ‘U’ by that time. The two giant letters can still be seen on the northern face of the stone.

G and partial completed U on the rock

The entrance fee for climbing La Piedra Del Penol is $6 USD, which most tourists happily pay for such an epic natural wonder.

At the top of the Guatape rock, the view is quite breathtaking and has to be one of the most amazing lookouts in all of Colombia. At 2,135 meters above sea-level, this rock is a natural wonder and the perfect spot to enjoy panoramic views of Guatape Lake and this beautiful region.

The town of El Penol, seen from top of the rock is actually a new town. The old El Penol is said to be underwater, following a hydro-electricity project, which submersed the old town.

View from the top of the rock

Reaching Guatape is comparatively easy. One can board on a bus from Caribe bus station to Guatape. Caribe bus station can be reached by the Medellin Metro or a taxi. From Caribe, with just USD 4, Guatape can be reached. From the bust stop it is only walkable distance to the giant rock.